Saving Christmas in the Little Irish Village (The Little Irish Village #5)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Nollaig shona dhuit!

Happy / Merry Christmas

Soon, it would be time to push the tables together in the pub, lay the white cloths, and set them with the Christmas crackers, serviettes and Nan’s red origami rose napkin holders. Although the jury was out on it, the holly-pine-cone extravaganza – a supposed family heirloom – would be carefully placed in the centre. It would be all hands on deck with jobs delegated by Nan and Mam, so everyone had a hand in getting ready to serve the Christmas dinner, including the new branch of the family: Judy, her husband, Cam, and their two adult children.

At the heart of the Shamrock was a spirit of community. It was tradition to ensure no one from the village was lonely on Christmas Day, and extra places were always set at the festively laid table. Hannah knew the air would fill with toasts, terrible Christmas cracker jokes and food – too much food!

For now, hands were resting on bellies, letting the enormous brunch of eggs Benny with wild Atlantic salmon or bacon go down as the gathered group sat in the shadow of the world’s biggest indoor Christmas tree. Ava had joked upon seeing it that someone should put in a call to the Guinness World Records. At their feet, wrapping paper was strewn about that Hannah would sort through, folding away the salvageable pieces to be recycled next year.

Full they may be, but they’d all found room for the cinnamon-vanilla creamy eggnog Nan had brought out, and even the Quality Street chocs were doing the rounds.

‘I love your vest, Tom. It’s very, erm…’ Shannon grinned, one hand resting on the small of her back, the other dipping into the box of sweets.

Mam had half-heartedly said chocolates before dinner would spoil appetites. Of course, no one had listened because everyone knew they’d miraculously find room. Noses were already twitching at the smell of the roasting turkey, which was sweet and smoky as it wafted into the pub through the open kitchen door.

‘Christmassy is the word you’re looking for, I believe,’ Hannah supplied on Tom’s behalf, smiling. ‘And it’s a gilet, not a vest.’

Shannon laughed. ‘Ooh, gilet – get you.’

Hannah’s hand-knitted Christmas gifts had gone down a treat, with her sisters putting their cup cosies around the eggnog-filled mugs. She couldn’t take credit for Tom’s gilet, though, which he wore proudly over a long-sleeved shirt. That was down to Eileen Carroll, who’d worked through the night to ensure Hannah could present him with his longed-for gift. She’d had to wait until morning for Tom to give her the gift he’d bought her, a thoughtful hand-crafted knitting bag made of hemp, stuffed with a rainbow of wool and personalised needles. She loved it, although the best present was when Tom slipped his arm around her, the laughter around them blending into the background and whispered, ‘I dreamed of a Christmas morning like this when I was a lad.’

Hannah snuggled into him and looked around her big, ever-expanding, boisterous family. There was so much to look forward to! A new baby, a new career, a whole new life to be explored with Tom.

Tom gently lifted her chin and their lips brushed, sealing the deal for the year ahead.

He broke away with an ‘Ouch!’

There blinking up at him was the guest of honour, Princess Leia, with a Christmassy red bow on her head. Mrs Tansey, home from hospital, was delighted to have been invited to spend Christmas Day with the Kelly family.

Hannah laughed on seeing the little dog, the picture of innocence.

‘It’s not funny!’ Tom rubbed his ankle.

‘Should we get a chihuahua when I move to Dublin?’ she cheekily asked. ‘Small dogs are perfect for apartment living. A little boy we could call Luke Skywalker.’

‘No comment.’

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